


Quiet

by SharkGirl



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comfort, Established Relationship, Fish out of Water, Homesickness, Loneliness, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Sweet, soft, written pre-s6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-04 00:04:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16335926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkGirl/pseuds/SharkGirl
Summary: The castle had felt like that. Like home. For a long time, they were nonstop. Battles here and meetings there. Sleepless nights and early training mornings. Nothing about the life of a Paladin of Voltron was easy. But it was busy. Loud. Like home.But with the success of the coalition, their alliance with the recently ascended Emperor Lotor, and peace just within their grasp, things were… Quiet.





	Quiet

**Author's Note:**

> This is the companion piece to [Loud](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16213445) (R18), written for This is a Spaceship Zine.  
> You don't have to read the other to understand. They're completely standalone.
> 
> I meant to post this last week, but I haven't been on my computer. Sorry for my inactivity. I've been under the weather and had family in town.
> 
> Beta'd by the lovely Jes, Ghost, and Alex~♥  
> Please enjoy!

When it was busy and hectic, with alarms blaring and blasters zinging and his teammates shouting over the comms, things were…good. No matter how crazy it all seemed, there was just something about the noise that was soothing in a way.

Lance had grown up in a full house. He was surrounded by family at any given time. Frustrating, when one happened to be a teenage boy who had a very thorough morning and bedtime bathroom routine and very little to no privacy. But it was his home and all he’d ever known.

And even at the Garrison, after curfew and lights out, Lance could talk with Hunk or, at the very least, hear his not-so-silent snoring from across the room. And with the walls as thin as they were, he could even pick up the conversations next door. No actual words, but the gentle murmurs of others.

The castle had felt like that. Like home. For a long time, they were nonstop. Battles here and meetings there. Sleepless nights and early training mornings. Nothing about the life of a Paladin of Voltron was easy. But it was busy. Loud. Like home.

But with the success of the coalition, their alliance with the recently ascended Emperor Lotor, and peace just within their grasp, things were… Quiet.

Allura was always with Lotor or other high-ranking coalition members, spreading the good word and winning more allies to their side.

Coran often disappeared, too. He either joined Allura or went his own way, living the life he would have had if Zarkon hadn’t destroyed everything he loved millennia earlier. And Lance couldn’t fault him for that.

Pidge kept busy, tinkering with this and that around the castle ship and modifying their lions. No matter how amazing or technologically advanced she made things, it was never good enough. Stagnation was failure, or something like that.

Hunk, too, seemed to either be assisting Pidge with something Lance couldn’t even begin to comprehend or chatting with Shay. And Lance was happy for his best friend, he really was. But it was still lonely. He missed the days where Hunk would test out his new recipes on him in the castle’s kitchen.

And as for the two who should have been closest to Lance, well…

Keith opted to continue assisting the Blade of Marmora. And Lance would never in a million years hold it against him. He’d found his mother. His family. And he was learning directly from her and the rest of his brood. It was a once in a lifetime experience and he deserved it. But that didn’t make it hurt any less when he was gone.

And Shiro… Well, Shiro was everywhere at once, wasn’t he? Helping Allura with diplomatic matters, continuing to perform his leadership duties, and, more often than not, honing his skills in the training room.

In fact, he was more than likely in there at the moment. But Lance didn’t want to bother him. Shiro had a lot of trouble sleeping – who could blame him, all things considered? – and he deserved some time to unwind, melt through a few bots and the like. It was therapeutic for him.

But, with all that being said, that left Lance very much alone.

It was the middle of the ship’s night cycle and, although time meant nothing in the dark, inkiness of space, he should have been asleep.

He’d woken up to an empty bed, the sheets cold beside him. But instead of walking toward the training area, he opted to go the opposite direction. And, following the familiar path, his tired legs led him to the observation deck.

The stars were beautiful. No matter how long he’d been staring up at them, he could never get enough. The constellations were different, but it still reminded him of home.

If only it wasn’t so darn quiet.

He missed his siblings squabbling over who got the last cookie, his mother giving an exasperated huff at their antics. He missed his father’s loud snoring – Hunk’s, too. And he missed the sounds of life. Of family. Of home.

He hated the quiet.

When things got quiet, his mind would wander. He’d start thinking about how far away everyone was. Both physically and figuratively. And how lonely he felt.

Everyone else seemed to have gotten used to this new era of peace. Each falling into their respective roles. But Lance just…didn’t. He was an extra piece. One included in the box by mistake. Perhaps belonging to a different puzzle all together.

He sat down on the floor, crossing his legs and resting back on the heels of his hands, and stared up at the pinpricks of light above, twinkling but granting no wishes. Not tonight.

His eyelids slipped closed. He was tired. But he knew if he went back to bed, he would be unable to sleep. He missed the feel of another’s warmth. Sleeping with Shiro and Keith always calmed him. But those moments were rare these days, it seemed.

Heat burned behind his eyes and, when he opened them, the stars were blurry until he blinked the wetness away. He wanted to go home. No, they were still needed here. He just wanted to feel like he was at home.

And why was it so darn quiet?

“Lance?” A deep, familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned just in time to see Shiro give a relieved sigh. “There you are.”

Lance sat up straighter. “Were you looking for me?” he asked.

Shiro nodded. “When I came back from the showers, you weren’t in bed, so I...” he paused, rubbing the back of his neck. “I got worried.”

Oh. 

“I’m sorry,” Lance said, ducking his head and averting his gaze. Had he really been gone that long? Shiro usually spent most of the night on the training deck before quickly showering and sliding into bed beside a supposedly slumbering Lance.

Like he could get back to sleep once he’d woken up alone.

“It’s okay,” Shiro assured him as he walked closer. “No harm done.” He stood there for a moment before taking a seat beside Lance. “You’re allowed alone time, too.” Then he visibly froze, his eyes going wide. “Oh, am I interrupting?”

Lance shook his head. “No.” His lips curved up in a smile. “I was actually hoping for some company,” he admitted, his gaze never leaving the viewing window.

“Anything you want to talk about?” Shiro questioned, scooching a bit closer, the warmth of this body feeling wonderfully pleasant against Lance’s cooler skin.

He wanted to shrug it off, pretend everything was fine. But a certain stubborn half-Galra Blade member would have his head if he beat around the bush and made Shiro worry unnecessarily.

“Everyone seems to have fallen into a nice groove,” Lance said, still looking up. “In these peaceful times, I should feel more relaxed, right?” he asked, not expecting an answer. “But the quiet just makes me…anxious,” he admitted.

In his peripheral, he saw Shiro nod. “I completely understand that,” he breathed, his fingers brushing over Lance’s where they rested on the floor. “I can’t help but be on edge.”

“Maybe I should start hitting the training deck,” Lance offered with an awkward little laugh. “It’s been a while.”

“It might be nice to have a training partner again,” Shiro replied. It was a loaded statement. There was only one other paladin who regularly took out his aggression on the bots as much as Shiro.

“I miss him, too,” Lance said, letting his head fall to rest on Shiro’s shoulder. “Before we had coalition stuff and dealing with Lotor to distract us, but now…” He sighed. “Now it’s all the more obvious that he’s not here.” Shiro tensed under him and Lance immediately pulled back, realizing how he could have taken that. “I didn’t mean to imply that you’re not enough-”

“I know, baby,” Shiro said, his eyes softening. “And I do miss him.” Then he chuckled. “Not that you aren’t a handful on your own.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Lance made a show of rolling his eyes, but inside he was still preening from the pet name. It was so rare that Shiro let one slip out – outside of the bedroom, anyway. “What do you think he’s up to?”

Shiro shrugged, but before he could say anything, Lance’s pocket began lighting up. He furrowed his brow for a moment before he remembered that he’d put his space cell in there. Coran and Pidge had definitely called it by a more scientific and proper name, but if it looked like a duck and swam like a duck… Anyway…

“Sorry,” he apologized before fishing the phone out of his pocket. Caller ID wasn’t exactly realistically doable in the vastness of space – also, Lance couldn’t read Altean even if a name _had_ popped up – so, he simply answered.

‘There you two are,’ came Keith’s relieved voice, followed by a holographic image of their boyfriend. ‘I tried calling you on the comms, but you didn’t answer.’

Ah, right. Lance hadn’t bothered to change out of his nightclothes, so his armor and helmet were lying uselessly on the floor of their shared bedroom. Well, folded neatly. Lance wasn’t an animal, after all.

“Sorry, Keith,” Shiro said for them, managing to look rather sheepish. “But you are calling rather late. Is everything all right?”

‘Yes,’ Keith answered, glancing off to the side.

Lance and Shiro exchanged suspicious glances. “Oh, really?” Lance questioned, puckering his lips and leaning closer.

‘Everything’s fine,’ Keith confirmed, finally meeting their gazes. ‘I just…’ Even with the sometimes shoddy reception Lance got on his space cell, Keith’s blush was as clear as day. He looked up at them through his bangs. ‘I missed you guys.’

Lance released the breath he’d been holding and heard Shiro do the same.

‘I know it’s late, I just…wanted to see you. Sorry-’

“Don’t you dare hang up,” Lance interrupted with a frown before Keith got any ideas. Then he smiled. “And, for the record, we were just sitting up here talking about how much _we_ missed _you_ , so…” His cheeks grew warm. “I guess we’re even.”

“What are you up to?” Shiro asked, like they were having a normal long-distance relationship conversation, instead of being on a crazy intergalactic call in the middle of space.

‘Just a stake out,’ Keith replied. ‘A lot of the old quintessence stores got raided, so we’ve been tracking shipments of the stolen goods.’

“Ooh, you sound like a detective!” Lance gushed and, instead of rolling his eyes and snorting, Keith just smiled.

‘Yeah, kind of.’

“Sounds dangerous,” Shiro added. “You’re being careful, right?”

This time Keith did roll his eyes. ‘Ugh, yes, Takashi…’

“Good,” Lance huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Because we want our boyfriend back in one piece, you hear?”

‘Yeah, yeah…’ Keith chuckled. ‘So, what are you two doing up so late, anyway?’

They continued like that, talking about their days, mundane things they’d done, and how boring things were without the other around. It was…nice, actually.

And finally, when the night cycle was nearly complete and both Shiro and Lance were struggling to stay awake, they said their goodbyes.

‘I’ll be back soon,’ Keith promised before stifling a yawn, his hologram glitching a bit.

“You’d better,” Lance returned, covering his own mouth as he lost his fight in not copying him.

“Let’s get you to bed,” Shiro said, his lips brushing against Lance’s ear.

Lance nodded, his eyes slipping closed as he fell back against Shiro’s chest. “…’night, Keith,” he mumbled, unable to focus on him through his exhaustion. “Love you…”

‘Love you, too,’ Keith’s grainy voice echoed. ‘Both of you.’

It was hard to tell how much time had passed since that exchange, but Lance woke up sometime later as his back came in contact with his bed. The mattress dipped when Shiro joined him, wrapping an arm around Lance’s middle and pulling the blankets over the both of them.

Lance snuggled closer, pressing his nose into the crook of Shiro’s neck and shoulder and breathing deep. “How long do we have?” he asked before sighing contentedly.

“About a varga and a half,” Shiro replied through a yawn. “But I messaged Allura that we might be late.” He tugged Lance closer and rested his chin on the top of his head. “Said we’d need the rest after our late night training.”

Lance chuckled. “You lied to the princess? Ooh, I’m telling…” he sang, but then chuckled. “Actually, I think a few extra ticks would be nice.” He smiled and gave Shiro’s middle a squeeze. “I love you.”

Shiro pulled back just enough to kiss the crown of his head. “I love you, too.”

And later, after getting about two hours of the best sleep of his life, when Lance heard Pidge and Hunk speaking loudly just outside his door, and with Shiro’s arms still wrapped tightly around him, Lance found he could put up with the quiet.

Because, no matter how far away everything seemed, he had found his home away from home.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, let me know what you think and feel free to hit me up on my Voltron sideblog [@bleucheesy](http://bleucheesy.tumblr.com)!


End file.
